Insurance Criteria
Online Insurance Process – Will re-open May 30
Student Health Plan
About Aetna Student Health Insurance
Information for Graduating Students
It is the policy for the University of Rochester that all full-time students must have health insurance that meets University criteria. Students can enroll in the University-sponsored insurance plan or they can waive the insurance if their plan meets University criteria. All requests to waive the University-sponsored insurance will be audited. International-based insurance plans often do not meet University criteria. See "Insurance with an International-based Company" below for more information.
Every year all full-time students, whether new or returning, must document their health insurance coverage by completing the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver insurance Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. Students enrolling on the University-sponsored insurance plan may enroll eligible dependents. The same deadlines apply.
Failure to complete the online process during the appropriate open enrollment period will result in automatic enrollment in the University-sponsored insurance plan and could lead to a delay in access to care for the first two months of the plan.
The fees for the mandatory health fee and health insurance for the 2013-2014 year are:
Coverage begins on August 1, 2013 and continues through July 31, 2014. Students who have insurance coverage that meets University criteria can waive the health insurance fee. All full-time students must complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period.
If you should experience a qualifying event during the year, you can change your enrollment status by completing and submitting the enrollment or waiver form to the UHS Insurance Advisor. Examples of qualifying events include: loss of coverage through your parent or spouse, birth of a child, marriage, divorce, educational program has ended and the student is leaving the country permanently.
Please Note: Returning to campus in January after studying abroad in the fall semester is not considered a qualifying event. You must complete the online insurance process. The online site will be open from November 1 and January 30. The link will be in the blue box near the top of this page.
International-based plans often do not meet University criteria for waiver. For this reason, we highly recommend checking the University criteria carefully before deciding to purchase insurance from an international-based company. Your plan must meet all of the University criteria to qualify for waiver of the University-sponsored insurance.
Completing the Enrollment/Waiver Process: You must first complete the online Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Process during the appropriate open enrollment period. Your request to waive will be denied; however, you can appeal the denial by submitting the Waiver Verification Form by September 16 (or January 30 for students beginning in January). Your plan must meet all of the University insurance criteria to be considered for an appeal. A representative from the insurance company must sign the form to verify your plan meets the University criteria. All requests for waiver will be audited.
If your request to waive is denied and you would like to enroll in the University-sponsored plan, send an e-mail to insurance@uhs.rochester.edu. Include your name, student ID, and birthdate in the message and "Re-set Aetna account" in the subject line. When your account is re-set, you will need to complete the online enrollment process before the end of the open enrollment period.
Graduating students are encouraged to check their health insurance status to assure continuing coverage and access to health care following graduation. Students enrolled in the University-sponsored Aetna Student Health insurance plan are covered through July 31, 2013. For students needing more time to secure alternate coverage, a single term 3 month continuation plan is available for students currently enrolled in the plan. Write to insurance@uhs.rochester.edu for additional information if needed. Students must enroll in the continuation plan within 30 days of loss of coverage, or by August 30, 2013. For more…
All full-time students participate in the Student Health Plan, which covers primary care visits to the University Health Service (UHS), time-limited therapy at the University Counseling Center (UCC), and health promotion services. The Student Health Plan includes:
If you have questions about health insurance, contact the UHS Insurance Advisor at insurance@uhs.rochester.edu.